


Before You Leave Me

by MarvellKya17



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Canon Universe, Lance's POV, Light Angst, M/M, Pining Lance (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-22
Updated: 2019-08-22
Packaged: 2020-09-23 19:16:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20345326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarvellKya17/pseuds/MarvellKya17
Summary: Keith keeps leaving Team Voltron. Lance keeps getting more confused and hurt.Or, five sequential scenes featuring Lance's thoughts and reactions





	Before You Leave Me

**Author's Note:**

> If anyone recognizes some of the dialogue, that's because some of it is taken directly from the show; I'm not trying to claim it, so this is me acknowledging that I am borrowing some dialogue from Dreamworks. I even included the season and episode from where each scene came, as extra padding in my anti-plagiarism case :)

[Keith and Allura leave the team in case Zarkon is tracking Voltron through them (S2E6)]  
Lance sulked privately in Blue’s cockpit. He knew it was unbelievably ridiculous and selfish of him to be wallowing in jealousy when they had much more important things to do - save the Taujeerians and celebrate with a planet-wide parade in their honor, for example. Lance brightened at the thought momentarily, but he quickly slid right back into sulking. Who does Keith think he is, running off with the Princess? Lance thought irritably. After a while, an idea appeared at the forefront of Lance’s mind. He wasn’t exactly sure how it got there - if it had been buried for a long time and was just now surfacing, or if it was an entirely new concept his brain had accidentally conjured up during his lengthy sulking session. The thought was this: he had been so worried about Keith stealing Allura away from him (which, in itself, was ridiculous because Allura was never his to begin with) that it never occurred to him to think that maybe he was really worried about the opposite: that Allura was stealing Keith away from him.   
“That’s crazy!” Lance shouted aloud, physically swatting the thought away.   
“Lance, is everything ok?” Shiro’s concerned voice reminded Lance that his radio was on.   
“Yeah, yeah of course! I’m fine!” He turned his attention back to the task at hand. But no matter how hard he concentrated, that terrible, untrue thought floated in the back of his mind, nagging at him.

[Keith mentally disassociates from the team (S3E3)]  
Inside the Red Lion, Lance raced alongside Pidge, chasing Keith, Team Voltron’s newest leader. What was Keith thinking, leaving behind Allura? He knew she was struggling flying Blue.   
“Keith, we have to go back for Allura,” said Lance. No response.   
“Keith, you’re splitting up the team!”   
Still nothing.  
“Keith, don’t do this!” screamed Lance in desperation.   
His third protestation did the trick. Keith fell back. The Black Lion pivoted and flew in the direction of Hunk and Allura. Exhaling, Lance directed Red to follow. A few minutes later, Lance glimpsed two pairs of eye-lights.   
“Okay, everyone’s present and accounted for,” Keith said sullenly. “Are you happy, Lance?”   
“What is that supposed to mean? If you’re asking if I am happy that nobody is lost and not able to communicate with the group because of some freaky magnet poles - or whatever Pidge said - then yes, I am happy.” The uncharacteristic bite in Lance’s voice surprised even him. The comms line was silent for a moment.  
When Keith did reply, it was in a flat voice, almost as if he was trying to stay as emotionless as humanly possible. It not only surprised him as much as his own outburst, he also felt a sharp jab of hurt.  
“We have a mission that’s more important than any of us. We need to find Lotor and stop him, and I plan on doing that right now.” With that, the Black Lion shot out into the fog. Reluctantly, Lance and the other Paladins followed him. The team regrouped in clear patch. Keith ordered everyone to position their Lions in an outward-facing circle. Lance could feel the apprehension emanating from his team members and mixing with his own. Suddenly, Lotor’s ship came spiraling towards them. The Lions sprang into action, shooting at it from all different angles. Unfortunately, Lotor’s ship was agile and managed to dodge all their attacks. In the chaos, the Paladins were separated once again. Lance perched Red on an outcropping, assessing his next move. Eye-lights appeared and started moving closer to him. Lance groaned. This was the last person he wanted to see right now.   
“Are you happy, Keith?” he mocked.   
“I… I thought I was doing the right thing,” lamented Keith, making Lance regret his animosity the teeniest bit. “I thought I was doing what was best for the team.”  
“I don’t want to kick you when you’re down, but… you do realize how dumb that sounds right?”  
Keith said nothing. Lance took that as a cue to continue. “I’m not trying to tell you how to lead, but you can’t abandon the team like that. We need you with us. Voltron is kind of a team effort, in case you haven’t noticed.”   
The Black Paladin chuckled weakly, then grew solemn. “I’m not cut out to lead Voltron. I never should have agreed to pilot the Black Lion.”  
Lance sighed. “Look, man, the Black Lion chose you. Obviously, you’re meant to lead the team. Plus, you think I’d listen to you if I wasn’t 100% sure you were right for the job?” Lance found himself smiling. “The point is, I trust you to be the team leader, and I think the rest of the team does too. We all believe in you.”   
Lance could hear a slight smile from Keith’s end. “Thanks, Lance.”  
“Don’t mention it. Now, let’s go find the others.”  
As Lance followed Keith back into the unknown, he thought about what he’d said. Did he really trust Keith? The answer came more easily than Lance would have expected.  
Absolutely. 

[Keith leaves Team Voltron for the Blade of Marmora (S4E1)]  
After Keith had announced that he was joining the Blades - leaving Team Voltron for good - Lance had inexplicably found himself exhausted. He slumped on his bed, all alone for what felt like the first time in days. With no show of arms or mission to distract him, Lance had no choice but to admit it to himself: he missed Keith. He’d had been in and out for the last few weeks, but Lance never expected that he would quit the team altogether. They had no way of knowing how long Keith would be gone on this mission, and, despite his mounting frustration with the former Black Paladin, Lance was legitimately worried for him. What if Keith was seriously injured, or worse - killed? Regardless of their history at the Garrison, being thrust into the roles of defenders of the universe so abruptly had sparked an unlikely partnership (Lance might even be tempted to call it friendship), and Lance wasn’t sure how he would feel if Keith was suddenly… gone. Forever. Somehow, he knew it would be different than when it was Shiro. Worry didn’t completely eclipse the lingering anger, though. He was angry with Keith, like most of the rest of the team, for putting the Blade of Marmora above Voltron. Lance rolled onto his side and curled in on himself. He knew he was being selfish, but in that moment, he wished Keith had never discovered his Galra heritage. That he had never met the Blades. Had never left Team Voltron.   
Had never left him. 

[Keith sets off alone to save Shiro, who they later find out is a clone (S6E5)]  
The massive wormhole ahead shrank as Voltron shot towards it.   
“We’re not going to make it!” shouted Lance through gritted teeth. Their thrusters were failing, and the wormhole was disappearing rapidly.   
“Disband!” ordered Keith.  
“What?” protested everyone else in unison.   
“Energy from disbanding might create enough thrust to propel me through the wormhole!”   
“You’ll be the only one on the other side!” Allura argued. Keith ignored her.  
“Do it!”  
The other four paladins obeyed. As Voltron split into its five lions, Lance could only watch as Keith and the Black Lion rocketed through the wormhole, winking out of sight. Lance groaned, his thoughts a mix of anxiety about Shiro’s condition and frustration at letting Keith go off on his own again. He felt laughing and crying hysterically. As much as he didn’t want to believe that Shiro would willingly put the team in danger, he couldn’t stop worrying about Keith facing him alone. He was no longer sure what Shiro would or wouldn’t do.   
Lance glanced over at Allura. They were alone on the bridge.  
“Allura, are you okay?” he asked. If he could comfort her, maybe he’d feel a little better, too.  
“I’m just so angry with myself for allowing this to happen. I played right into Lotor’ hands.”  
Lance frowned in disbelief. “You can’t blame yourself. It was Shiro who went rogue.”   
Allura kept her eyes trained on the floor. “Lance, I appreciate you trying to make me feel better, but I have to face the facts: I was fooled by Lotor, and it put the entire universe in jeopardy. How can the coalition be expected to trust me when I’m not sure I can trust myself?”  
“Allura, it wasn’t just you who trusted Lotor. We all did,” Lance assured her. “I had more reason than anyone not to trust him, but he did everything right. He didn’t just fool you. He fooled all of us.”  
Finally, Allura met his gaze. Something vulnerable flashed in her eyes, and she stepped forward to embrace Lance. He wrapped his arms around her, comfort flowing both to and from him. “Let me tell you, as someone who has made a million mistakes… all you can do is get up and make it right. You can’t doubt yourself now.”  
“Thank you, Lance,” whispered Allura, her voice soft but unwavering. Lance closed his eyes, content to stand there for as long as they needed; for the first time since Keith disappeared through the wormhole, he felt some semblance of peace. The spell was broken by a voice on the comms system.  
“Hailing the Castle of Lions,” Keith said, his face flooding the screen above them.   
Lance’s face brightened, relief flowing through him. “Keith! You’re okay!” Keith’s eyes flitted to meet his; the Black Paladin blinked, seemingly surprised at the genuine care etched on Lance’s face. He opened his mouth to respond before Allura interrupted. “Did you get Shiro?”   
Keith grimaced. “I got him, but he’s not the Shiro we know. The Shiro that took Lotor was a clone.”  
Lance and Allura exchanged glances, any trace of peace replaced with apprehension. “Then where’s the real one?” questioned Lance.  
“I’ll explain later,” dodged Keith. “Right now, you need to focus on Lotor. He’s headed back to your position.”   
“He needs to get back into the quintessence field,” reasoned Allura.   
“What about you, Keith?” Lance pushed, suddenly desperate to keep him there a little longer, or at least to have some reassurance before he left again.  
“I’m on my way to you now. But without a wormhole, it’s gonna take me a while.”  
Lance bit his lip. He was about to pose another question when the connection shut off. The Red Paladin cursed under his breath. “Let’s go alert the others,” Allura prodded, already reverted back to battle mode. Lance nodded and followed. But his mind was still on Keith and his perpetual solo missions. Lance’s eyebrows furrowed. He knew it would keep happening, and he knew that the next time it did, he didn’t want to have any regrets, to hold anything back. I promise, he thought as he and Allura ran down the corridors of the Castle, that even if you run off, I am never letting you leave me again. 

[Keith runs off to fight with Axca (S7E3)]  
“Lance, lead the way. Keep the team together.”  
“Wait, where are you going?”  
“Axca saved our skin. I’m not going to leave her behind,” Keith explained. Turning around, he called, “I’ll meet up with you guys soon.”  
It was happening again. But this time, Lance was determined to do something instead of just standing there, watching Keith disappear again, not knowing when - or if - he’d be back. Without warning, Lance’s hand shot out and grabbed Keith’s wrist. The Black Paladin stumbled a few steps backward. “Lance, what are you doing? We don’t have time-” Keith’s admonition was cut short as Lance yanked him forward, kissing him. It came as a complete surprise to Keith, who barely had time to regain his footing before it was over. Lance pulled away, avoiding eye contact.   
“I wasn’t going to let you leave me again without doing that,” he mumbled. Keith just stared, paralyzed. All trace of the hot-headed, impulsive leader that left his team at the drop of a hat was gone. Lance stole a glance at Keith; the smallest smile flickered across his lips. “Dude, stop staring.”  
Keith swallowed. “Sorry?”  
Lance’s smile grew. “Just go save Axca,” he said, lightly shoving Keith’s shoulders.   
Keith nodded slowly, still dumbfounded by this sudden turn of events. He started to walk away but paused.   
“Lance?”   
The Red Paladin’s eyes locked with his. “Yeah?”   
“I’m coming back. You know that, right? I always come back,” Keith whispered.  
Lance looked down, smiling to himself. Then, he raised his eyes back to Keith’s.   
“You better.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! This is one of my favorite stories I've written, and I'm excited to finally share it with a bunch of strangers!


End file.
